Synthesize interview transcripts and PDFs for research
Observed in the wild: transcripts go in one folder, one file per interview with consistent names, plus a CLAUDE.md holding research questions, a codebook and a rule to quote only verbatim text with file names. Claude codes them in batches of 5 to 8, or via parallel subagents, and writes themes.md and evidence tables. The guide says one typed question replaces an hour of Ctrl+F, and Else van der Berg runs 50-transcript studies this way.
- Agent or tool
- Claude Code
- Topic
- Research & Data
- Reported on
- Blog
- Added
- 2026-10-15
Why it matters
Research is mostly gathering, cleaning and comparing. Handing that groundwork to an agent leaves the person with the part that needs judgment: deciding what the findings mean. It is one of 67 sightings filed under Research & Data on Agent Sightings (number 16 by interest), and one of 164 involving Claude Code.
How you could try it
Here is a reusable prompt, written by us in our own words, that captures the task. Paste it into Claude Code or any similar agent and adjust the details to your situation.
Research brief: synthesize interview transcripts and PDFs for research. Prefer primary sources, include links and confidence notes, and do not contact anyone.
Tip: Start small: run it once on a low-stakes example, read what the agent did, and only then let it run on real work.
Source
Read the original first-hand account on Blog: https://ccforeveryone.com/guides/claude-code-for-researchers. Our summary is a paraphrase; details are in the source.